The World Not Seen
by NowComesTheNight
Summary: Link had always seen things others couldn't. What he didn't realize was not only were these things real, they would also draw him into an ages old conflict the rest of the world had been unaware of. AU, this isn't Twilight Princess plot lines at all, I'm just using the universe.


**Legend of Zelda: The World Not Seen**

The layout of Hyrule, as well as many of the minor characters, is the same as Twilight Princess. The story and OC's, however, are mine and are in no way related to any of the other Zelda plot lines or time lines. I'm merely borrowing some of the characters to play with (don't worry... I'll give them back :P). No copyright infringement intended.

I'm starting with this one warm-up chapter, if enough people like it I will start drafting up the rest of the story. Be aware you may not see another chapter for a while.

XoxoxoX

It was an unusually warm day for spring. The light breeze bringing smells of newly budding flowers and sweet hay wafting lazily through the village as the sun burned high in the sky. Greenery bloomed all around the clearing which boasted a series of wooden cabins and structures inset to hillsides meant for both home and business affairs. All the children of Ordon Village were taking advantage of the heat by splashing around in the pond and shallow creek that cut through the center of the village and flowed out to the Forrest. Peals of delighted laughter rang out as the young ones released their rambunctious energy through the water play, punctuating the languid pace of the day.

Link chuckled lightly as he watched Talo splash at Beth, who seemed reluctant to get wet. Ridding astride Epona, he let the reigns hang loose from the bridle so the mare could stretch her neck and walk more comfortably. The young man trusted his horse to lead them home as he relaxed and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Link!" He looked at the caller, Beth, waving at him excitedly, her short flip of blonde hair bouncing with the movement. Link smiled warmly and waved back.

"Link!" Talo immediately turned his attention away from soaking the girl and gestured to get Link's attention. "Come over and play with us!"

"Maybe later." He replied simply to the child, giving them all a smile and a nod as he passed by. It was a tempting offer, as the heat of the day was causing beads of sweat to gather on his brow, but he was only taking a quick mid-day break from working at the ranch to allow Epona some rest and get himself something to eat.

Once they came to a small grove right on the edge of the village, the horse slowed to a stop by the tacking post outside of his home and Link swiftly dismounted. He shook the discomfort from his legs before rounding Epona and unbuckling the straps that secured the bridle to her face, the head gear sliding off easily. The mare wuffled in relief as the heavy, metal bit came out of her mouth and worked her jaw a little to free the lingering kinks. Once the bridle was set aside, Link eased the halter over her nose and ears and tied the lead to the pole, then moved to Epona's side and loosened the girth for her. He thought briefly about taking the saddle off, but decided against it as they would be headed back to the ranch before long.

Reaching into the leather pouch tied to his belt, Link pulled out a carrot for his horse, who took it readily and happily munched on the sweet root. Too soon, the treat was gone and Epona impatiently nudged her master's chest, demanding more. When nothing was immediately forthcoming, she decided to change tactics and began liping at Link's dirty blonde hair.

"Whoa girl." Link said with a soft laugh, evading Epona's mouth. "You don't want to eat my hair, do you?"

His smile widened when she merely nudged at his chest again. Shaking his head in amusement, he reached back into the pouch and offered his horse another treat. She quickly nabbed it from his hand and snorted in delight.

There was movement just outside his line of sight and Link quickly turned his head to get a better look at it, but the mysterious thing had vanished. Ever since he could remember, he'd been able to see small glimpses of things others could not. From things as inconsequential as a shadow to horrifying creatures he could not recognize. He tried explaining what he saw to Rusl a couple times when he was young, but the older man just assumed Link had an extremely active imagination. Once he realized that seeing these things was not normal, he did his best to ignore it and he never spoke of it. On the rare occasions that something would catch his attention well enough for someone to notice, he would pass it off as if he were daydreaming.

"Perhaps I'm crazy, Epona." He spoke in a whisper as he wrapped his arms around her face in a gentle hug. He pressed his forehead against hers before pulling back to stroke her rust-colored coat. The horse snorted and lightly tossed her head as if to say 'No way, that's just silly'. Link smiled brightly at his horse. He gave her one last carrot and a kiss on her satiny nose before he climbed the ladder into his home.

Inside, Link breathed in the sharp smell of wood and foliage, a contented smile stretching across his face. He had built his home with the help of Rustl and Ordon Village's mayor, Bo, on his seventeenth birthday. It was a tradition of passage for a man to build his own dwelling with the help of older, knowledgeable family members when he came of age and, since he had no real family to speak for him, the two had offered their hands. Link could remember the feeling of warmth that had come over him. He'd always considered Rustl as a surrogate older brother and idolized Bo as a boy for his strength. To realize that they saw him as a member of their own families meant more to him then they could ever know.

He couldn't help the little bubble of laughter as he recalled their perplexed expressions when he announced that he wanted to construct his home within the large, hollow tree at the village's edge. Link couldn't be talked out of it, though. There was just something about the tree that he found calming, soothing. It wasn't alive anymore, but, amazingly, showed no signs of rot or damage, and it was gigantic. Plenty of room to build within. It wasn't easy; they had to strip the bark and seal the trunk to help prevent future decay, then thin the inner walls to a consistent shape and thickness and seal that as well. Once that was done, they were able to construct the inner walls, flooring, roofing, finishes, and furniture. Building it took them the whole summer and part of early fall, but they were able to complete it before the storm season began. It was Link's first accomplishment as an adult and the talk of the village. The children wondered at the 'tree house' and often came by to see inside, while others marveled that the dead trunk survived the fall and winter storms at all.

Shaking himself from his memories, Link walked to his cabinet and retrieved a plate, a blunt knife, the last of his bread, made fresh the previous day, and some goat cheese Fado, the ranch owner, had given him. He grabbed a couple of brightly colored pieces of fruit from the bowl on the table, cut them into wedges and added them to the growing pile of food on his plate. Deciding that he would rather eat outside on such a beautiful day, he took his plate and knife and left the house.

Link descended from his porch with his meal in one hand and the other gripping the wooden ladder as he eased his way to the ground. Once his feet touched solid earth, he found a comfortable spot in the shade and settled in to eat.

"Link... Are you here?" He heard a soft, familiar voice call to him. He swallowed the bit of food in his mouth and answered.

"Over here."

Ilia, the Mayor's daughter and one of Link's closest friends, appeared from around the side of his home, dressed in her favorite long, cream-colored, sleeveless shirt and cropped, green pants, exposing her legs from just below the knee to her bare feet. Link smiled at that; she seemed to always be barefoot. Twisting a lock of her light brown hair between her fingers, a smile stretched wide across her face, her blue eyes burning bright with enthusiasm. The young ranch-hand had to wonder what could have his friend so excited.

"You missed the Merchant's Circuit this morning." Well, that explained it. The circuit usually traveled through Ordon once a month to offer wares and trade (they were also known for telling good stories), but when the storms picked up it was near impossible for anyone to make it so far from Hyrule. This was the first time they'd been back since the weather cleared. Ilia took a seat beside her friend before continuing. "My father was able to get a lot of wares in return for our village's fine-woven cloth. One of the buyer's even said it was the softest he'd ever bought. Of course, he was new to the circuit. Everyone else who's ever traveled with the merchants knows that the best goat hair cloth can be bought from Ordon." Ilia stated with pride, and why shouldn't she? After all, she had spent most of her time recently working the looms.

Link smiled encouragingly at Ilia and offered her a piece of bread with goat cheese smeared on it and a few pieces of sweet fruit topping it.

"Thank you." She said, taking a break from her story to accept the food and enjoy a little herself. "This is really great goat cheese, and it took Fado so long to get the recipe right. Oh! Speaking of the goat cheese, one of the merchants tried some of it and said that we should try selling it in the market at Castle Town. Can you believe such high praise!"

"That would be something." Link replied. It truly was very high praise. The people who purchased from Castle Town Market were mostly wealthy merchants and Aristocrats who were well known for being selective, opting to only spend their Rupees on high quality or exotic foods. "Is your father considering it?"

Ilia tilted her head in thought. "I think he wants to. But to travel that far the cheese would require an ice box which is expensive and a..."

His friend continued to speak, but Link was no longer listening. Instead, his attention was captivated by something he could not explain.

Across the clearing, not more than 100 feet from where he and Ilia sat, a young girl stood. An outsider not associated with the Merchants was an odd enough occurrence, but what struck him speechless was that she was completely colorless. Every feature, every detail was represented by shades of gray and her form was hazy and faded. Nothing around her, not the tree branches by her right shoulder nor the grass beneath her feet, seemed effected by her presence. It was like she wasn't there.

Link couldn't make out any discernible features besides a waterfall of hair so long it almost reached her ankles. The strands whipped about her body as she moved, looking around the small grove. The girl seemed frantic and agitated, and she was gripping something. Cradled close to her chest protectively was what appeared to be a book. Link stood, wanting to ask what was bothering her or why she was here. The insane urge to reach out and touch the girl gripped him, to check if she were solid and weighted as things should be, or if she felt like the wisp of mist she appeared to be. As slowly moved forward, one foot planted firmly before the next lifted off the ground, wooden and uncertain, she finally noticed him. That face turned to him, shocked, scared, and confused eyes meeting his own. Link registered with a start that she was indeed a very young girl, younger then both he and Ilia but older then Talo and Beth, and that her face was tattooed with swirled markings he didn't recognize. With each step he took, she took a step back, trying to keep distance between them. Once she reached the shade, she shook her head and fearfully hid her face behind her book and disappeared like the billowed swirls of wafting smoke.

XoxoxoX

Well, there it is, short and sweet!

Let me know what you think! If you like it I can continue, but it will be some time before that happens. Unfortunately, I have other stories to finish and only so much time to work on them. I will try though.


End file.
